Virginia free press. (Charlestown, Va. [W. Va.]) 1832-1916, 1887-12-15

corresponds Win the many al-e-iif'-S -c'----
in history II the assassination Of kings and
emperurs. An enthusiast broods over the op-
preston OF 4 people until be fancies himself
commissioned by heaven 10 liberate them
He ventures the attempt which ends il little
else than his own execution. Orsini's attempt
on Louis Napoleon and John Browns attempt
AZ Harper's Ferry were, in their philosophy.
f the same. The eagcrness 70 cast blame on Oh
England in the one case and on New England
in the other does not disprove the sameness Of
the two things"
Il is charity to rank Brown Is 4 mono
maniac in the same list with Orsini, Gui-
teau. Boo b and Freeman. But his ad-
mirers do not allow this, for it would ruin
him as "a saint and martyr" They con-
tend not only that he was sane, but that
he was q great moral hero. Ii We admit
MS sanity, we must then regard him either
as felon or fend After be had prov
ed himself robber, murderer and traitor,
and while almost everybody was denoune
ing him a. such. the Garrison disunionists,
under whose tuition he had maiured, i'm
mediately began his apotheosis. The
f es Of the Li5eTqtor and the reported
eulogies Of Wendell Phillips, delivered
wherever lie could get q hearing, are
abundant proof Of this fact. Themselves
mouomaniacs, they were delighted to dis
cover a hero so well adapted to their
characters and tastes. It had been their
work for quarter Of a century to de-
nouuce the Government Of their country,
10 cal the Constitution q league with
death and a covenant with hell, and on
public occasions 20 make bonfres Of that
sacred instrument. They said Constantly
that ",here was 40 issue Of any imPor-
/ tance except the dissolution Of the Union.
/ In their convention in New York City IN
May, 1874, the very month in which the
Missouri Compromise was repealed, they
said the Nebraska bill and the Fugitive
Slave law are matters Of no Importance
20 aboli,ionists. We strike at the root
of the matter" They claimed to appeal
to the moral sense Of the country, but in
fact they appealed neither to its moral
T sense nor to It's common SENSE. Their cry
was for disuuiou and nothing else. They
asked the people to escape the measle-
I bv committing suicide. They asked u
10 burn our houses 10 get free from cock
roaches. They never seemed to have one
impulse Of patriotism or one giimmer OF
statssman-l,ip. They were simply malig
I nant pustules on the body politic-th'
Droof and the effect Of the disease within
without any curing power or tendency
I These are the men responsible for the ter
rible growth Of anarchy in this country
They made a deity Of the prince Of An
archists. colossus in crime compared
with whom the men recently executed iI
I Chicago we're mere pigmies.
Its no wonder. then, that the Anarch-
ISIS Of to-day acknowledge their righttu,
king, and sing at their nocturnal conveu-
tions John Brown songs. This is thf
most appropriate commentary we have
vet had upon the character Of Garrison
and Phillips martyr and saint Their
eulogies found echoes in feeble pulpit Ut
terances and occasionally in public lee
lures. In this way the deadly virus o
anarchy infected and poisoned public sen
timent.
But what did John Brown Do = In Kan
sas he dragged from their beds az mid
night three men and two boys and hack
ed them in pieces with teo-eiged cloavers
in such way that the massacre was repor,
ed to be the work Of wild Indians. i
any butcher IN New York city shoul'
hack and slash to death bis own hog arc
steers as John Brown hacked and ,lasheC
70 death these men and boy, IN Kansas
he would be arrested and impri-0ne'
without delay. After this Brown sle'
an unarmed inofeusivs farmer iH Ms
souri,. II his murderous raid AZ Harper
Ferry, the first man be s!ew was a negr
engaged in the discharge Of his duty q
. the freight station there. For som
weeks before thi. raid be had been var
! dering about In Virginia, trying TO eniis
negroes in hi. little rebellion. In on
place be proie.sed to be q geologist. Il
several places he protessed to be a Dl
MeLain-a specialist in hernia He ez
d amined many slaves for this disease, b.
= consent Of their masters, to whom be sai
that negroes we're more subject TO il tha
s any other class. IN a Presbyterian hous
he was q Presbyterian minister. lie n
l. mained one day and two nights and e1
= amined over forty slaves. He next visi
ed a Baptist family, and there pT0fesse
= to be a Baptist minister lie had write
70 out a plan Of government for the souti